Ilsong Garden Restaurant Review

: It was Young Cacy who first brought Korean cuisine to our attention years ago. We liked her food better then; it seemed truer. Now, in a classier location just off Loop 410, chef Cacy has bolstered her bi bim bap with posher plates “for the discerning palate.” Ilsong stir-fry rib-eye and the beef tenderloin shish kebab occupy pride of place (and price) without much suggesting the cuisine of Korea. There’s a major sushi component, too. But even if we have moved on (or back) to newer, hole-in-the-wall places, chef Cacy’s aficionados revel in dishes of pan chan and the remaining rustic plates such as the kimchi pancake (still good if a little greasy). But the fried yaki mandu dumplings seem to have become less appealing, and a seafood stew for two, though brimming with impressive ingredients, didn’t follow through with complex taste. Stir-fried octopus, an old favorite, has also emerged chewy and less spicy than before. Maybe we need to return to the buckwheat noodles in a cold beef broth.